Troubled Times
by nerdypurdy
Summary: Harry Potter and his friends are in 7th year and frustrated by the inactivity of both Voldemort and the Ministry. However, during these troubled times, a prophecy is revealed, friendships grow stronger, new relationships are formed, and enemies are made.
1. New Beginnings

A couple of years passed by uneventfully, although a lot of changes had occurred. Voldemort was still in hiding, doing nothing.just slowly biding his time. However, this period of silence worried people in the wizarding world, namely Harry. Most people still thought that Voldemort was dead.that he had never come back, despite the events at the Ministry in fifth year. Every day Harry struggled to correct their misinformed opinions.and every day they ignored him. As a result, Harry grew even closer to Hermione and Ron. But despite Harry's troubled thoughts and uneasiness about Voldemort, they still had two great years.  
  
Remarkably, Harry and Ron took a page out of Hermione's book and took advantage of this time to improve their magical abilities. They had worked and studied hard ever since the beginning of 6th year.and now, all three were highly capable wizards, surpassing even some of their teachers in skill. In such a short time, they had become incredible wizards and they were confident that when Voldemort came back, they would be ready and waiting for him. They awoke each day alert, always ready should an attack finally come.  
  
Hermione had finally blossomed. She stood at a very nice 5'9", grew in all the right places, and, surprisingly, had become somewhat athletic. Which isn't to say that she was really muscular, not at all.but she was very healthy and perfectly in shape. She made it a point to exercise every day, so that she could be strong both mentally and physically. She had indeed become a very beautiful woman, although, in Harry's eyes, she had always been gorgeous.  
  
Harry had changed in many ways as well. He had grown quite a few inches in the last couple of years, now standing at 6'2". During the summer, he became very taken with two things.well, actually three.Boxing, Basketball, and running. As a result, he was highly skilled in strength, aim, and endurance; skills that he felt might come in handy in his war against Voldemort. Another thing, he had grown tired of always breaking his glasses, so he persuaded Aunt Petunia (who had become nicer in the last few years, since the arrival of her letter) to let him get contacts.  
  
And as for Ron.oy, where to start? Ron now stood at an incredible 6'5".and still growing! He wasn't terribly skinny or lanky either.nope. He rivaled Harry in fitness, enjoying the name things as him as well. They would usually box and play one-on-one with each other. (They went running with Hermione.) Not to mention, He was still very much single. He had been going out with girls for the last couple of years. He had one semi-serious relationship that lasted four months with.Susan Bones. It ended on mutual terms, both deciding that they were better as friends. He had cut his hair to a short 1 ½ inch choppy haircut that suited him very well.meaning he looked incredibly SEXY! Oh, another piece of important information, Ron has NO lingering feeling for Hermione and is currently looking for his very own soul mate.  
  
The three of them were still inseparable. 8 months ago, they had a huge fight about a combination of tiny things that eventually escalated and finally peaked. There was actually a period where all three of them refused to talk to each other!! It lasted all of 45 minutes. However, they decided in that short period of time that they were miserable not talking to each other and made a pact that from that day on, they would talk to each other as soon as something started bothering them.pure honesty. So far, they've kept that pact.  
  
Harry and Hermione were still very much together.and still very much in love. As Hermione loves to say, "Every day feels like the first, exciting and passionate.but with a level of comfort and understanding that can only come from years of friendship. That together equals the most incredible thing I have ever known." They both knew that they would spend the rest of their lives together, but Harry had yet to "pop the question." Although Hermione couldn't wait for that moment, she knew she would wait forever and a day if she had to. Even though the two of them love each other so much, they have never made love. They both decided to wait until marriage for that. It remains the hardest decision they have ever had to keep. There have been moments where they came very, very close to breaking their promise to each other, but they stopped because they loved each other enough to wait.*  
  
Well, that's the last two years in a nutshell.now let's move on to the present.and see what surprises the future holds in store for them.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Bill!" Hermione yelled, "I can't find my trunk!"  
  
"It's on your bed.where I put it not two minutes ago!" Bill yelled back.  
  
"Oh.right," she said as she walked into her room.  
  
"Yeah.there you go!" Bill joked, as he followed her in.  
  
"Oh, shut up, Bill. How was I supposed to know you were gonna bring it to me?"  
  
"Oh, I dunno, maybe because I always do?"  
  
"Once! You did it once! Last year.after you found out."  
  
"Oh.technicalities, technicalities! The point is that I've always done it since I've known!"  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled at that, "Oh, Bill!" He chuckled as he pulled Hermione into a hug, "I'm gonna miss you this year at school.I always do."  
  
"Why? They make you pick up after yourself there?" Hermione punched him in the arm, and he laughed, "I know you do.but hey, maybe this time will be different! Maybe this year you'll finally lose yourself completely to Harry and forget about poor, old, butler Bill!"  
  
"Hmm.only one problem with that."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah. I've already lost myself in Harry and I've never forgotten about you, Uncle Bill," she said, adding her term of endearment.  
  
"Ahh.I'm touched! Look! I have little goosey-bumps!"  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Every time."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
Hermione looked at him, "Everything I tell you something serious, you turn it into a joke.why?"  
  
Bill look a little taken aback, but then he just mumbled and looked away, "No reason."  
  
"Bill?"  
  
"You better finish getting packed.you're leaving for the train in two hours," Bill said as he left the room, "I'll see ya, kid."  
  
Hermione sighed. Why? Why is it that every time I so much as hint that I love him, he backs off? Every time. What happened, Bill? Why are you so scared?! Hermione thought furiously, hopelessly trying to send Bill a telepathic message.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Bye Mom, bye Dad!" Hermione said as she prepared to enter Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.  
  
"Bye, dear. You tell Harry that he better take good care of you this year, you hear?"  
  
"Mom!"  
  
"What? I'm only saying that if I can't be there for you, I'd like it if he would," Hermione quirked an eyebrow. "Okay, okay, that goes for Ron too."  
  
"Thank you!"  
  
Mrs. Granger smiled at her daughter and said, "You better get going now, you don't want to miss the train."  
  
"Bye!" Hermione called out as she disappeared into the wall.  
  
"Bye, Sweetie!" Mr. Granger yelled, then he sighed and said to his wife, "Where did our little girl go?"  
  
"She grew up, matured into a wonderful young lady," she replied, then added, "and fell for Harry."  
  
"So.now she's his."  
  
"Pretty much.I can tell that they're basically already married in their hearts."  
  
Mr. Granger wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, "Just like we were at their age."  
  
"I just hope it doesn't take Harry another five years to propose to her," she laughed, then turned to her husband, gave him a quick kiss and said, "Come on, let's go home."  
  
"Mmm.what's the rush?" he murmured as he pulled her into another kiss.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Oy, Hermione! There you are!" Ron yelled, "What took you so long?" He grinned as he reached for Hermione's suitcase to help her out.  
  
"Oh, just shut it, you!" Hermione replied and looked around quickly, "Where's Harry?"  
  
Ron shrugged and said, "Dunno, he just said he had to go take care of something."  
  
"Huh, weird," she said as she dropped her stuff onto the seat in their compartment.  
  
"Haha, yeah, kinda."  
  
"Wonder what that's about." she thought out loud, "Oh, well." Then she suddenly realized something, "I haven't seen you in two months!" she shrieked as she pulled Ron into a hug. "How are you? What did you do? Why the heck didn't you write me?" she asked, hitting Ron on the back of his head while still hugging him tightly.  
  
"Ow!" he yelped, and then added, "I'm okay, except for this pain in the back of my head. I didn't do anything in particular and I just kinda got.busy." He trailed off, realizing how oxymoronic that sounded. Fortunately for him, a new voice popped up.  
  
"There something I should know about?" Harry joked, with a smile on his face.  
  
Hermione abruptly let go of Ron and ran to Harry shouting, "Harry!" as she pulled him into a hug.a very tight hug.  
  
Harry was suffocating, "Herm.can't.breathe!"  
  
"Oh.right," she said as she let go of him.  
  
He took a breath and then softly said, "Besides.I can think of better ways to suffocate." as he pulled her into a very slow, long, passionate kiss.  
  
"Err.I think.um.I'm gonna go find Ginny now," Ron said. Receiving no reply he hastily added, "Right.yeah," as he left the two of them to catch up.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hey! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"  
  
Ginny sighed, not particularly happy to see her brother, "Hi, Ron."  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing," she replied, "I'm just.a little tired is all."  
  
"Oh." he answered, obviously not believing her.  
  
"Well, well, well, if it isn't for the Weasel and the Weaselette!"  
  
Ron growled, "Go away, Malfoy," as Draco entered the compartment with Crabbe and Goyle close behind.  
  
"Why? Last I checked there weren't any limits on where I could go on this train," Draco replied smugly.  
  
"Well then, you better check again. Because I'm still a prefect and you lost your badge last year!"  
  
Ginny abruptly asked, "What?"  
  
"Yeah.didn't you hear? Malfoy lost his badge for sneaking around so much and neglecting his duties," Ron answered with a smirk on his face.  
  
"No.no one mentioned it to me," she said, looking not at Ron, but at Draco, giving him a piercing stare that he returned with a slightly ashamed touch to it.  
  
An awkward silence followed with Draco and Ginny staring at each other, as well as a bewildered Ron looking them on. Finally, Malfoy broke the silence, "Come on, Goyle, Crabbe.let's go." And with that he left the room.  
  
Ginny stared at the floor as she felt Ron glaring at her. After a few seconds, he finally asked, "What's going on between you and Ferret Boy?"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Harry and Hermione sat on the seat, cuddling, with Harry's arm over her shoulders and her head resting against his chest. "I missed you so much, Herm," Harry said softly, kissing the top of her head, "How did we survive these last two months?"  
  
"I have no idea.I guess just by looking forward to today. I still wonder why Dumbledore wouldn't let you come visit me this summer."  
  
"Haha.maybe he thought our intentions weren't pure."  
  
"Harry Potter!"  
  
He chuckled, "Just kidding. But seriously, I don't know. It was probably some.gut instinct or.something. With Dumbledore you can never be sure."  
  
"Yeah, that's true."  
  
"Speaking of Dumbledore.I talked to him a few weeks ago. He told me something regarding both of us. He was going to tell you too, but I asked him if I could.  
  
With a questioning look on her face, Hermione asked, "What did he say?"  
  
"Well, to put it simply.I'm Head Boy and you're Head Girl!"  
  
Hermione's mouth dropped open and she started stammering. Harry laughed at her reaction, "Merlin! Hermione Granger.speechless? Man, I'm gonna have to call "Hogwarts: A History" and "The Daily Prophet"! I can see it now."Hermione Granger, Britain's Most Celebrated Know-It-All, Rendered Speechless!"  
  
Hermione glared at Harry, "Do you have to ruin everything?"  
  
He grinned, "Always."  
  
"Ugh! Why the heck didn't you tell me before?! Do you have any idea how tortured I've been all summer from wondering?"  
  
He answered, "One.because I wanted to see your reaction. Two, I have some idea. And three.wanna go see our compartment?"  
  
Hermione's eyes widened and she shouted, "Yes!"  
  
Harry chuckled and stood up, helping Hermione up as well, then said, "Good, let me just write a note to Ron."  
  
"Okay, but first.." Hermione said as she placed her arms around Harry's neck and pulled him down for another kiss.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *A/N: I just wanted to emphasize that I am, by no means, trying to offend anyone with my views of love and abstinence until marriage. It is simply what I've grown up believing and I understand that not everyone believes in this. I am also not trying to imply that people love each other less if they do not wait until marriage. But in my story, this is what they believe because it reflects my belief. Again, please do not be offended by anything. Thank you for reading!! Oh yeah, my standard form of begging. MORE REVIEWS = MORE MOTIVATION = FASTER POSTING!!!! 


	2. The Train

Chapter 2  
  
"Ginny?" Ron asked tentatively, reaching out to touch his sister's shoulders.  
  
"Nothing. Nothing's going on." Ginny shrugged to force Ron's hand off her in annoyance.  
  
"What's going on between you two?"  
  
"Nothing, Ron! Okay? Just drop it!"  
  
"Tell me!"  
  
"I said, 'Drop it, Ron!'" Ginny yelled, and then left the compartment, leaving Ron alone.  
  
"What the...?" Ron said to himself as his thoughts started taking over. What the heck was that? Oh man.did Malfoy put the Imperius on my sister?!?! They don't like each other, right? Ugh! What if they do?!?! Get a grip on yourself, Ron! Of course, Ginny wouldn't like that slime ball!! Yeah... of course she wouldn't, she hates him! Maybe they were just talking... about Potions or something! There we go, I feel better now. But... what if... it's something else...?   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
Ginny sat nervously in an empty compartment, when the door opened and Draco stepped in, shutting the door behind him. "Oh, finally!" she said as she stood up to greet him, "What took you so long?"  
  
"Well... for two stupid idiots... they're really hard to lose!"  
  
Ginny couldn't help but smile at that remark, but then she got serious again, "Why didn't you tell me you lost your badge?" "Hang on.. I'll get to that in a minute." he replied as he walked up to Ginny and placed his lips on hers. He put both hands on her face as his tongue sought entrance to her mouth. Ginny put one hand behind Draco's head, playing with his hair, and put the other hand on his arm as she granted him permission to enter her mouth. Their kiss was needy and passionate with a touch of love and tenderness. And after... a really long time, they both pulled away breathless.  
  
"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to do that?" Draco whispered, as he placed his forehead on hers.  
  
"2 months, 21 days, and 9 hours," she whispered back.  
  
"You kept track?"  
  
She shrugged, "What can I say? Weasleys do weird things sometimes."   
  
Draco snorted sardonically, "Jeez... it was only 3 months? It felt like two years. I missed you so much."  
  
"I missed you too."  
  
"This summer was the worst. I never really felt it before... the coldness of everything at the Manor... but after you... that place felt like a really, really cold hell."  
  
"That bad, huh?" he just nodded in reply, "Well, maybe you don't have to go back."  
  
"I know I'm not going back... I never want to see my father again!" Draco replied with the sound of intense hatred in his voice.  
  
Sensing that he didn't want to talk about his home life anymore, Ginny changed the subject, "So why didn't you tell me you lost your badge?"  
  
Draco sighed, "I don't know."  
  
"Look, Draco, I told you this in the beginning... if we're going to do this... if we're going to be together, we have to be honest with each other."  
  
He nodded and met her gaze with his own, then looked down slightly, "I know."  
  
"Well then, what? Did you think I wasn't going to find out? I mean, that's not exactly something you can hide easily although you obviously did a damn good job!"  
  
"No, no, nothing like that! I just... didn't know how to tell you."  
  
"'Honey, I lost the Prefect's Badge,' would work," Draco gave her an amused look, catching her vague reference to the Muggle movie they saw last year, but didn't say anything so she continued, "Why did you lose it anyway?"  
  
Draco sat down, leading Ginny next to him, "I don't know. I just... got tired of it. I mean, it was so cool at first; being able to patrol the halls in the middle of the night, being able to take off points from other houses! I felt... powerful, you know, like I meant something. But then, last year, everything... changed. Suddenly, everything that was cool about it just felt burdensome... annoying even. So I just... stopped going to meetings, stopped everything... except the going out at night part... I did that a lot," he smiled.  
  
Ginny smiled back and then said, "I know that we had started dating before this happened, or at least during."   
  
"Actually, it was a couple of weeks after I started slacking off."  
  
"So how come you never told me about it? It's not like it's that big of a deal to me."  
  
"I always meant to... but you know how it is, the longer you wait, the harder it is to tell."  
  
Ginny seemed satisfied with that answer, "Okay... just don't let it happen again."  
  
Draco smiled and replied, "I won't"  
  
"Good! Anymore deep, dark secrets I should know about?"  
  
"Actually, yeah.there is one thing."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm gay!" Draco grinned maniacally, and quirked his eyebrows in anticipation of Ginny's reaction.  
  
Ginny sighed in exasperation and rolled her eyes.  
  
"But other than that, nope."  
  
"All right then."  
  
"So we're good?"  
  
"Yeah," Ginny said as she moved to sit on Draco's lap, "We're good."  
  
Draco smirked and then said, "Good...then that means I can do this." and he leaned forward to kiss his girlfriend again.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ron entered the now empty compartment that Harry and Hermione just left. As he neared the seat, he saw the note Harry had left for him, explaining their disappearance.  
  
Ron-  
  
Went to see the HB & HG compartment. Be back in a bit.maybe! Kidding, kidding, pull your mind from the gutter, Ron.  
  
~Harry & Hermione  
  
Ron laughed and said, "Man, I knew they got the positions, but a compartment to themselves?!" After a minute, he looked around the empty room and realized something, "Wait a second... now what am I supposed to do?"  
  
Fortunately, a loud group of familiar faces entered the compartment. The people forming that group were..  
  
Neville Longbottom, who had in the last two years gone through a lot of changes. He had grown at least a foot, had a charming smile, and a laugh that could make even Professor Snape smile (and often did! Though he refused to let anyone see or admit it.) He was now very fond of cracking jokes and did it often, but he still knew when to be serious. Everyone knew that when he and Ron were in the same room, there would be a lot of laughs.  
  
Dean Thomas, who still loved soccer and played it often, he was now the "anchor" for the Quidditch games. He would have tried out for the Chaser position but didn't because he wasn't accustomed to using his hands in a game. He was currently dating Parvati Patil.   
  
And last, but not least, Lavender Brown. Lavender had changed as well. Her hair now went a few inches past her shoulders and was layered so that it framed her face very well. However, probably the biggest change was in her personality. It started the summer after 5th year. Her parents, who were both well-known people in her city, constantly in the newspapers, had divorced. Apparently, all the rumors that were circulating about them had finally torn them apart. For the first time in her sheltered life, Lavender had seen the damaging effects of gossip up close. Seemingly overnight, she had returned to Hogwarts a completely different person. Suddenly, she took no pleasure in spreading rumors or talking behinds a person's back. Ironically, after proving she could (and would) keep a secret, people came to talk to her. They would share their problems with her and she would give them advice or just listen to them. She had become something of a counselor to the students at Hogwarts. And she had also managed to become good friends with Hermione.   
  
Anyway..let's get back to the present, shall we?  
  
"Oh, thank Merlin! You guys are just in time to rescue me from boredom!"  
  
"Crud! I knew we undershot our arrival.." Neville joked, then turned to Dean and said, "Should we go up and down the train again?"  
  
"Wow... 6 seconds and you've already cracked a corny joke!" Ron said with a smirk on his face.  
  
Neville looked shocked as he asked Dean, "What was that? Did he just insult my sense of humor?"  
  
Dean replied, "Actually, mate... I think he insulted you in general."  
  
Neville looked at Ron, "Did you just insult me?"  
  
Ron answered, with a hint of cockiness in his voice, "So what if I did?"  
  
Neville laughed, "I've missed ya, man!" and slapped Ron on the back in a brotherly fashion.  
  
Ron grinned, "Me too."  
  
Lavender joined in the conversation, "You boys do realize that you have yet to include me in this conversation?"  
  
Ron joked, "Oh, I'm sorry, Lavender. Did we hurt your feelings?"  
  
Lavender replied as she ruffled Ron's hair, "No, but you better watch it from it from now on!"  
  
"Hey, hey, watch the hair! Watch the hair!"  
  
Lavender laughed and said, "That was so Jesse from 'Full House'!"  
  
Dean laughed while a confused Ron and Neville looked at Lavender with questioning looks on their faces.  
  
Lavender started to explain, "It's a... Muggle..." Then realized who she was talking to and trailed off a bit, "... show. Oh, never mind."  
  
"Okay." Ron said, "Any ways." then he laughed and asked Lavender, "How have you been? How was your summer?"  
  
"It was fine, "she replied, with a tone of finality in her voice that made it clear that she didn't really want to talk about it.  
  
Ron took the hint, "Well, I missed you," he said, reaching forward to give Lavender a hug which she accepted gratefully.  
  
Ron whispered in her ear, softly so that the other boys couldn't hear, "If you need to talk about it... I'm here, okay?" She just nodded in reply, blinking back tears.  
  
Dean and Neville realized that they should probably leave the two alone to talk. So, as Ron and Lavender pulled away from their hug, Neville said, "Hey, Dean, we'd better go find Seamus before he tries to make some rum again."  
  
He laughed, "Yeah, you're right."  
  
A few minutes later, Ron and Lavender had embraced in another hug again, and Ron asked her, "So, what happened?"  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Oh, my... Harry, this is incredible!"  
  
"No kidding.. if this is just for the train ride.how will our rooms at Hogwarts be?"  
  
"I don't know... but I can't wait to find out."  
  
They stared in awe at their train compartment.  
  
Harry moved over to the magical bookshelf that held every book ever written as well as every CD and movie ever made.  
  
He remembered a song that he had heard once a long time ago, found the CD and then headed over to the stereo to play it.  
  
Thank you for this moment  
  
I've gotta say how beautiful you are  
  
Of all the hopes and dreams I could have prayed for  
  
Here you are  
  
Hermione smiled as Harry moved over to her and asked, holding his hand out, "May I have this dance?"  
  
She smiled again, nodded, and let him lead her to an empty spot in the compartment.  
  
  
If I could have one dance forever  
  
I would take you by the hand  
  
Tonight it's you and I together  
  
I'm so glad I'm your man  
  
  
  
And if I lived a thousand years  
  
You know I never could explain  
  
The way I lost my heart to you  
  
That day  
  
But if destiny decided I should look the other way  
  
Then the world would never know  
  
The greatest story ever told  
  
  
  
As the song played, Harry whispered the words into Hermione's ear, "And did I tell you that I love you... Tonight."  
  
Hermione rested her head on Harry's shoulder as they danced.  
  
  
I don't hear the music  
  
When I'm looking in your eyes  
  
But I feel the rhythm of your body  
  
Close to mine  
  
It's the way we touch that sends me  
  
It's the way we'll always be  
  
Your kiss, your pretty smile  
  
You know I'd die for  
  
Oh baby  
  
You're all I need  
  
  
  
And if I lived a thousand years  
  
You know I never could explain  
  
The way I lost my heart to you  
  
That day  
  
But if destiny decided I should look the other way  
  
Then the world would never know  
  
The greatest story ever told  
  
  
  
Hermione whispered softly into Harry's ear, "I never get tired of dancing with you."  
  
Harry smiled, kissed her forehead and said, "I know... neither do I."  
  
And did I tell you that I love you  
  
Just how much I really need you  
  
Did I tell you that I love you?  
  
Tonight  
  
Tonight  
  
And if I lived a thousand years  
  
You know I never could explain  
  
The way I lost my heart to you  
  
That day  
  
But if destiny decided I should look the other way  
  
Then the world would never know  
  
The greatest story ever told  
  
  
  
"I love you, Hermione."   
  
"I love you too, Harry."  
  
  
  
And did I tell you that I love you  
  
Just how much I really need you  
  
Did I tell you that I love you tonight?  
  
  
  
The two continued dancing for a long time. 


	3. Brutal Truths

Chapter 3  
  
*3 weeks ago*  
  
"What do you mean Professor Snape is missing?!"  
  
"Um.. I mean he's missing?"  
  
"For how long?"  
  
"He hasn't shown up for his last 4 check-ins."  
  
Professor Dumbledore sighed and then asked, "Didn't you say that there were two people missing? Who's the other one?"  
  
The messenger paused before answering, "Professor Owens.."  
  
"Professor Owens?? As in our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Owens??" he roared.  
  
"Um.. yes sir. That would be him."  
  
"Oh.. Merlin.. what happens when we do find them again?"  
  
"Um.. well.. if we do find them.. Standard procedure calls for a meeting with the person who was missing, they tell us what happened and we decide what to do next according to the situation."  
  
"And how long does that take?"  
  
"Well.. it varies, sir.."  
  
"How long?!?!" Dumbledore asked again, getting impatient, a rare sight indeed for anyone who had known the Headmaster for a decent interval of time.  
  
"Well.. it can take anywhere from 2 hours to a year."  
  
"So.. you're telling me.. that even if they are found.. it's possible that they won't be able to teach for a year?"  
  
"Um.. I guess so, yeah."  
  
"And.. how long ago, in weeks or days or whatever, did they first go missing?"  
  
"Two weeks ago, sir."  
  
"TWO WEEKS AGO?!?!" he screamed in disbelief, "So, let me get this straight, you waited until school starts again in three weeks to inform me that not one, but TWO of my teachers were missing AND expect me to be able to find two replacement teachers before then?!"  
  
"Uh.. don't kill the messenger?"  
  
Dumbledore sighed in regret, sorrow, and exhaustion, and then said, "All right, that'll be enough. You can go now."  
  
"Thank you, sir, and.. um.. good luck."  
  
Dumbledore only nodded as the young man left his office.  
  
After the door shut, the weary headmaster brought his hand up to his forehead and exhaled for what seemed like the millionth time today. He thought out loud to himself, "Where the heck am I going to find two teachers on three weeks notice?" He sat for hours, thinking about who might be willing.. when an idea struck him, "I wonder.."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
*Present Day*  
  
"Come on, Lav. What's up? What happened this summer? You never told me in the owls."  
  
"Please don't take this the wrong way, Ron, but I really don't feel like talking about it right now."  
  
"I don't buy that! I think you're scared of something and it's holding you back!"  
  
"Ron.."  
  
Ron shook his head and said, "No, come on, it's the truth and you know it!" Lavender said nothing in reply, so he continued, "You always listen to everyone else's problems, but you refuse to let anyone listen to you.. why?"  
  
"My problems aren't anyone else's business."  
  
"And theirs are yours?!" He looked at her, sighed, and continued, "Look, Lav, I'm your friend. I love you and I care about you just like I do with Ginny. Like it or not, you are my business. Seriously, I mean, didn't you read my friendship contract?" he joked, trying to make her smile a little and succeeding.  
  
"I know, Ron, I know. But.. the thing is.. I'm not ready yet. I want some time to jus think this over, to figure out where I stand on the whole thing.. to kinda understand what my feelings are before I share it with someone.. before I say something I don't mean."  
  
For once in his life, Ron listened to her; really, really listened. Finally, he answered, "Okay, but when you're ready.. I'm willing to be the "someone," okay?"  
  
Lavender smiled, "You got it, mate."  
  
Ron laughed, "Now what do you say we find the food cart and pig out?"  
  
"I'd say..you got yourself a deal!"  
  
They set off to find the cart and Ron thought.. Man, Harry's gonna die when he finds out I have his wallet..  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ginny sighed, "We're almost there.. I guess we better split up, huh?"  
  
"Yeah," Draco replied, "I guess so."  
  
"I'm gonna go find my brother, I'll see you tonight?"  
  
"Yeah, same time, same place," he answered, giving Ginny a good-bye kiss.  
  
"See you later, alligator."  
  
Draco smiled, "In a while, crocodile. And it's dragon! DRA-GON!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah.. whatever," she replied with a playful look on her face as she left the room.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Hermione sighed, "I can't believe it.. we're finally here."  
  
Ron replied, "Yup.. about to embark on the terrible journey that is 7th year."  
  
"Isn't it a bit odd to think about how this is our last year at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, gazing off into the distance with a queer look in his eyes.  
  
"Wow," Neville joked, "Way to depress everyone, Harry!"  
  
Lavender added, "No kidding.."  
  
Dean said, "Yeah, he does seem to have a knack for that, doesn't he?"  
  
Harry rolled his eyes.  
  
Everyone stood in the Front entryway as they waited for Professor Dumbledore to come and lead them to the Great Hall to await the first years.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Welcome to yet another year here at Hogwarts. Please note that the Forbidden Forest is off-limits to all students," Dumbledore looked at Harry, Hermione, and Ron as he said that, "Argus Filch has once again asked me to remind you all that Dungbombs are banned on campus as well as 500 some odd other items. For a full list, please see Mr. Filch."  
  
Dumbledore hesitated a moment before continuing, "I'm afraid that Professors Snape and Owens will be unable to teach this year, but we have been fortunate enough to find two replacement teachers. Professor Collins, who will be teaching Potions; however, I'm afraid that due to unavoidable circumstances, she will be unable to be here until later tonight, so you all will have to meet her tomorrow morning when classes start. Our other teacher, Professor Buck will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year. Please stand up, Professor."  
  
Professor Buck stood up and waved.  
  
Harry said, "Hey, Hermione.. that kinda looks like-" but Hermione interrupted him.  
  
"Bill??"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A couple of hours later, the feast had ended and most of the students were already in bed. However, Harry and Hermione had a staff meeting to attend with the teachers. They also had a few questions of their own that they wanted answered.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Well," McGonagall said, "I suppose that's it for this evening. Have a good night, everyone!"  
  
The majority of the teachers had left, but Harry, Hermione, Bill and Dumbledore remained.  
  
"So..I guess you guys kinda wanna know why I'm here when I'm supposed to be a muggle.."  
  
"Yeah, that would be nice," Hermione said, a little harsher than she intended to sound.  
  
Bill looked at her; a little ashamed, "Well, I guess we should start at the beginning," he nodded to Dumbledore.  
  
The headmaster left the room and came back with Mr. and Mrs. Granger.  
  
"Mom..Dad? What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well," Mrs. Granger replied, "we had some things we need to explain as well."  
  
Mr. Granger said, "You might want to sit down."  
  
"Okay.." Hermione said warily, reaching for Harry's hand.  
  
"Well, basically, Hermione, your father and I aren't.. muggles."  
  
"What?! You mean.. you lied to me all this time?"  
  
"Can we finish the story? You can ask questions later, I promise."  
  
"Why should I believe you? Everything you've told me was a lie, I don't see why this time is different."  
  
"Herm.."  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"18 years ago, your father and I were Aurors. We were working alongside the Potters in the fight against Voldemort." She paused, looking at Harry, then continued, "After they were killed, and Voldemort disappeared, Professor Dumbledore thought it would be a good idea to disappear from the wizarding world for a while, especially since I was pregnant with you. See, he didn't really believe that Voldemort had died. So we changed our names and moved into the muggle world."  
  
Bill took over the story, "This is where I come in. Dumbledore also thought it would be a good idea to have someone else around.. a bodyguard figure. My job was to protect you and your parents by posing as a butler."  
  
"I see," Hermione said, confused, she asked, "And why do you suddenly have hair now?"  
  
He laughed and said, "Well, I was only 18 when they assigned me to your parents. Everyone at the Ministry thought I looked too young to be a butler, so I took a potion every day to make me look 10 years older than I actually am. To you, I'm 45.. but I'm actually only 35. I didn't take the potion today so.."  
  
"Oh.. but.. I saw this morning and you still looked.."  
  
"Yes.. but I take the potion with lunch."  
  
"Okay.. so let me get this straight. You're not 45, but 35. You're not a butler, but a bodyguard. My parents are not only magical, but were Aurors and went into hiding after Voldemort disappeared."  
  
"Well, at the time, we thought it was a ruse to trick us into coming out and then allowing him to kill us as well. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, months turned into years. After so long, we found that living in the muggle world quite comfortable. It wasn't until you got your letter from Hogwarts that we seriously considering coming back. But then we decided to wait a little longer, at least until you got back from your 1st year," Mr. Granger said. "But then you, Harry, and Ron found out that Voldemort was still alive."  
  
Hermione nodded and then turned to Bill, "So.. if your job is to protect us.. why are you our DADA teacher now?"  
  
"To be honest, I have no clue. But DADA was my best subject when I was here.. and it just seemed like a good time to come back."  
  
"Okay.." Hermione said softly, squeezing Harry's hand, "I think that's all the questions I have right now.."  
  
Mrs. Granger said, "Are you mad at us, sweetie?"  
  
Hermione scoffed, "Mad? What reason could I possibly have to be mad? I've only just found out that everything I've ever known is a lie! Do you know how hard it is to think yourself a muggle-born in a world of magic? Everyday.. I had to feel like I was inferior! I had to face Malfoy calling me a 'mudblood' and for what? Nothing! You and Dad knew what I was going through.. I TOLD YOU! You.. knew.. and you never did anything about it. You could have saved me a lot of pain if you had just told me. So yeah, I guess I am mad!"  
  
"Hermione, we.."  
  
"NO!" She paused, her eyes watering, "I thought that you loved me.. or did you lie about that too?" And with that, Hermione stood up to leave the room.  
  
Harry got up quickly and gently grabbed her arm to try and calm her down, "Herm.... "  
  
"Don't, Harry!" Hermione said, pulling her arm out of his grip and storming out of the room.  
  
Harry turned to the Grangers, "I'm sorry.. I'll uh, talk to her," he forced a smile, "Try to.. err, knock some sense into her."  
  
"Thank you, Harry."  
  
"Don't worry about it.. I'm sure she'll be okay.." he set off to follow Hermione.  
  
"Oh, Harry," Mrs. Granger called out. He turned to look at her, and she continued, "Your parents were some of the best people I have ever known.. and you are truly their son."  
  
Harry's eyes watered a little bit, but he held back the tears, "Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome, sweetie.." she replied, "Good night."  
  
He nodded in reply and went to find Hermione.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Oh, Bill?"  
  
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore?"  
  
"I wonder if you wouldn't mind doing an aging man a favor?"  
  
"Well, of course not. What do you need?"  
  
"As you know.. Professor Collins will be arriving in about an hour... and I'm simply afraid that my old bones need their rest, so would you be willing to greet the new teacher and show her to her quarters?"  
  
"Certainly, sir, I'd be more than happy to."  
  
"Oh, thank you so much, Professor Buck. My bones thank you!"  
  
Bill laughed and said, "Why don't you head on to bed now... get that rest you need?"  
  
"Yes.. Yes.." Dumbledore muttered as he stifled a yawn and turned to head to his room..at least until he was out of Bill's sight anyways. When he knew for sure that Bill wouldn't hear him, he chuckled, "Just wait until you see the teacher.." And then he smiled deviously.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
As promised to Dumbledore, Bill was faithfully fulfilling his duty and waiting in the front hallway for Professor Collins who would be arriving any second.  
  
Suddenly, the door opened and in came a woman.. well, at least what seemed to be a woman, Bill couldn't really tell through the cloak. His thoughts were confirmed when the woman spoke, with a decidedly feminine voice.  
  
"Oh, goodness gracious! It's pouring out there!" she exclaimed, setting down her luggage and shutting the door behind her."  
  
"Professor Collins?" Bill asked.  
  
"Oh, wow. That's the first time I've ever actually heard the title 'Professor' with my name!" she laughed, "But yes, that's me."  
  
Bill smiled and then offered to take her luggage.  
  
"Oh, would you? That would be great," she said as he reached for her luggage. She then lowered her cloak and looked at Bill. Her breath caught in her throat as he too lifted up his head and for the first time saw her face.. well, the first time in a long while anyway.  
  
"Leigh?"  
  
"Bill?"  
  
He dropped her luggage, not because of shock, but rather because Leigh Collins had suddenly fainted. He quickly caught her in his arms before she fell to the ground. 


	4. Blast from the Past

**Chapter 4**

Bill was in Leigh's quarters while she lay dead to the world in her bed.  She still hadn't woken up from her startling fainting spell yet.  He stood in the doorway watching her as memories ran through his head and tears silently ran down his cheek.

*Flashback*

_"It is now time for the Head Boy and Head Girl to start off the dances!"_

_Bill smiled and looked to the beautiful young lady standing next to him, imitating a formal voice, he asked, "May I have this dance, Miss Watts?"_

_She smiled back and replied, in the same voice, "You certainly may."_

_He laughed, took her hand, and led her to the center of the dance floor._

_As the music began, she put her head on Bill's shoulder, where it fit perfectly.  "Wow…I can't believe the Christmas holidays are almost over.  Just a few more months and then we're thrown out to the real world…it's so scary."_

_"I know…but we'll have each other, right?"_

_A small, contented smile came upon her face as she whispered to him, "Forever and always...I'm so in love with you.  I want to spend the rest of my life with you."_

_"Good…me too," he smiled, "I love you so much, Leigh."_

*End of flashback*

Leigh finally stirred softly in her head.  Bill immediately left his position and ran to the side of her bed.

"Wow, that was really weird. I dreamt…" she stopped abruptly, seeing Bill.  Memories flooded her mind…some not-so-pleasant memories…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_"Merlin, those exams nearly killed me!" Leigh exclaimed to her friend Whitnee, "I've never been so relieved to finish the end-of-year exams!"_

_Whitnee laughed, "You and me both!"_

_They continued talking about the exams as their friend Shawn came up and said, "Leigh…there's something you need to see…now.  Come with me."  _

_"What is it, Shawn?"_

_"You'll see," he replied, leading her to a door that led to an empty classroom.  But as she looked in, she saw that it wasn't so empty.  "I'm so sorry," Shawn said._

_But Leigh didn't register his apology.  Her mouth was open in shock and her breathing became irregular as her eyes remained glued to the sight in front of her.  Her heart shattered into an infinite amount of pieces.  Bill…her boyfriend, Bill…was kissing a girl that wasn't her.  Out of the corner of her eye, the girl that was kissing Bill saw Leigh and immediately put space between herself and Bill.  Bill, confused about the sudden distance, followed her line of sight to Leigh.  "Oh, crud.  This…isn't what it looks like!"_

_But Leigh didn't stay to hear the rest of it.  She tore down the hallway trying to run away from everything that just happened…not wanting to face it.  She ran and ran until she got outside.  She kept running until she reached the edge of the __Forbidden__Forest__ where she fell to her knees and started sobbing.  Her body shook as she started to register exactly what she had just seen.  She sat out there for hours, just crying._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*A month later*

_Leigh was miserable.  After Bill had cheated on her, she broke up with him; not able to deal with being able to see his face…because every time she did that…horrible…scene came flashing through her mind.  _

_Determined to get over him, she found a job working at St. Mungo's.  Leigh figured that since she liked Potions and Charms so much, it might as well be a good place to start.  She kept herself busy…buried herself in her studies…just so she wouldn't have to think about the drastic turns her life had taken._

_It was at just such a time when she received the news.  Finally tearing her eyes away from the book, she looked up at the person standing in front of her…Shawn._

_"Shawn!" she said, as she got to greet her fellow co-worker from the hospital, "It's so great to see you!"_

_His reaction was not the same, however.  His face was grim and solemn…yet sympathetic.   He spoke, "You probably won't feel that way in a minute…"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I came to tell you something…"_

_"Oh…not again…"_

_"Yeah…always seems like I'm the bearer of bad news, huh?"  She forced a smile as he continued, "You'll probably want to sit down for this."_

_So she did, sighing, as she asked the one question she really didn't want to, "What happened?"_

_"It's about Bill…"  Her eyes flared up in anger and pain at the mention of him…but if one looked closely, they could see concern as well.  He continued, "He came into the hospital this morning."_

_"What?  What's wrong with him?  What happened?  Is he hurt?"_

_"Not anymore…" he trailed off…insinuating the worst had happened to him.  Leigh's eyes were now as wide as saucers, her chest hurting from lack of air as she had stopped breathing, but she ignored the pain as she listened to Shawn.  "You know that he was working for the Ministry in the Misuse of Muggle Objects department."  She nodded.  "Well, anyway, they got a notice this morning about a guy doing some stuff with some muggle things…dark things.  It seemed like just any other call, but when they got there, the wizard had pretty much gone insane.  He had this one muggle thing…a gun, a kind of muggle wand…and he grabbed it.  He started waving it around and threatening everyone not to come closer.  Bill, of course, knew what it was and the danger that came with it, so he started trying to calm the man down, talking to him and everything.  It seemed like he was getting through to the guy…he had stopped waving the gun and shouting.   He just stood there, listening to Bill and looking at him with a calm look on his face.  Then, he apparently just raised the gun…and shot Bill three times in his chest.  He didn't make it."_

_Leigh didn't say anything, she just sat there with tears rolling down her cheeks.  Slowly, the tears turned into sobs.  Shawn came to her and allowed her to cry on his shoulders._

*End of Flashback*

They stared at each other for a few minutes…just registering the fact that they were really both there.

"No…" Leigh said softly, "you…you're dead."

Bill grimaced, "I know."

"You died 17 years ago…that guy shot you!"

"I know…"

"Then why the heck are you alive?"

"Because physically, I never died.  It's…well…complicated." 

At this point, Leigh was sitting up in her bed, staring at Bill as though he was a ghost from her past, but then again…he was.  She threw her legs off the side of the bed and pushed herself up with her hands, trying to stand up…key word _trying.  However, she was still weak from fainting and her legs gave out on her.  Bill rushed to catch her before she fell.  Shaken up, Leigh held onto Bill, briefly forgetting everything he had done to her and just remembering how good it felt in his arms._

"Are you okay?" Bill asked, with genuine concern in his voice, looking in her eyes.

"Yeah," she answered softly.

He led her to the couch in the nearby living room and helped her sit back down before sitting down himself.

Bill softly said, "You changed your last name…"

"Yeah, I did.  Does it really matter to you?" She answered, "Last time I saw you, you didn't seem to care about me so much."

"Don't say that. That's not true."

"Oh, really? Then you wanna explain to me why the last time I saw you, you had your tongue down another woman's throat?!" she shot back, anger flaring in her eyes as she abruptly stood up, her adrenaline overpowering her weakness.

Bill remained silent, not exactly sure how to answer that.  They stared at each other with fierce eyes and clenching mouths for a few minutes before Bill finally asked, "Why did you change your last name?"

Leigh sighed and simply said, "Because I got married."

He didn't say anything, his suspicions confirmed, "Who did you marry?"

Leigh looked at him, "I think you know the answer to that already."

Bill finally put two and two together, "Shawn?!  You married Shawn Collins??"

"Yeah, I did."

"But I thought you couldn't stand him."

"I couldn't at first, but he was always good to me…and he was there for me when you weren't."

"But you didn't love him, did you?"

Leigh paused before she answered, "No, I didn't…but he loved me.  He knew I didn't really love him, but he always said he'd rather play second fiddle than not be in the band at all.  Maybe he always hoped I'd grow to love him."

"Did he ever make you laugh?" Bill asked, standing up and walking over where Leigh stood.

Leigh looked at him, tears burning her eyes and she said with her voice cracking, "He didn't make me cry."

Bill started to say something but then stopped because he didn't know what to say to that.

"Please go," Leigh said as her tears started to roll down her cheeks again.

"Leigh…"

"GO!"

He clenched his teeth and then said, "Fine."

Leigh watched him turn and walk toward the door.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Bill walked quickly into his room.  When he reached the door he opened it and then slammed it shut behind him.

He paced his living room furious, completely oblivious to a figure sitting on his couch.  After a few minutes had passed, and Bill had settled down somewhat, the mysterious person spoke, "So I take it that things didn't go very well?" scaring Bill half to death and he leapt three feet into the air (had any of his Defense Against the Dark Arts students witnessed this, they would have sniggered their heads off.)

"What the-" Bill shouted but stopped seeing who it was, "Jeez, Professor Dumbledore!  Don't _do that!!"_

"My apologies."

"Wait a second…" Bill said as a realization hit him squarely in the forehead, "YOU!!  You…conniving, manipulative…"

Dumbledore interrupted him, "Perhaps I should remind you that you are still talking to your boss…" he smiled.

"I DON'T CARE!!" Bill yelled.  "How could you not tell me that you hired Leigh?!?!"

"Simple…because if I did, you would have refused the job."

"No duh!  I left my past behind for a reason, so it wouldn't come back and slap me across the face!"

"Look, you're not Bill Buck anymore.  Those days are over; you don't _need to be him anymore."_

"Well, I'm sure as heck not William Potter anymore, now am I?"

"That's debatable." 

"No…it's not.  William Potter died a long time ago…he doesn't exist anymore."

"He doesn't exist only because you refuse to let him."

"It's not my decision!"

"No, Bill…it is.  You're just too stubborn to admit it."

"Well then….I guess we have a problem."

"We?  You…you, Bill.  You have a problem.  You gave up your life years ago…and now you're too scared to find out what'll happen if you take it back."  Bill only stared at him, so Dumbledore continued, "And you know what?  You just may be right.   Perhaps William really did die…because the William I knew…wouldn't be afraid to live again."

Bill remained silent as he couldn't come up with a reply…and because Dumbledore's words had really hit close to heart.  He breathed heavily and sat down on the couch next to Dumbledore, realizing what he had been doing all along…running away.

Dumbledore continued, "I can't make you do anything.  I may not even be able to help you at all.  It's all up to you…it's not me, the Ministry, or even Leigh…it's all you."

Bill looked at him, knowing what Dumbledore is saying is the truth…but still not quite able to accept it.

Dumbledore stood up and walked to the door, then stopped and said wisely, "I don't think I can really help you, but here's my advice anyway…start with yourself and then worry about Leigh.  You can't love if you're not alive."  And with that he left Bill to face his thoughts.
    
    _I'm awake in the afternoon_
    
    _I fell asleep in the living room_
    
    _And it's one of those moments_
    
    _When everything is so clear_
    
    _Before the truth comes back into hiding_
    
    _I want to decide 'cause it's worth deciding_
    
    _To work on finding something more than this fear_
    
    _It takes so much out of me to pretend_
    
    _Tell me now, tell me how to make amends_
    
    _Maybe, I need to see the daylight_
    
    _To leave behind this half-life_
    
    _Don't you see I'm breaking down?_
    
    _Lately, something here don't feel right_
    
    _This is just a half-life_
    
    _Is there really no escape?_
    
    _No escape from time_
    
    _Of any kind_
    
    _I keep trying to understand_
    
    _This thing and that thing, my fellow man_
    
    _I guess I'll let you know_
    
    _When I figure it out_
    
    _But I don't mind a few mysteries_
    
    _They can stay that way its fine by me_
    
    _But you are another mystery I am missing_
    
    _It takes too much out of me to pretend_
    
    _Maybe, I need to see the daylight_
    
    _To leave behind this half-life_
    
    _Don't you see I'm breaking down?_
    
    _Lately, something here don't feel right_
    
    _This is just a half-life_
    
    _Is there really no escape?_
    
    _No escape from time_
    
    _Of any kind_
    
    _Come on let's fall in love_
    
    _Come on let's fall in love_
    
    _Come on let's fall in love_
    
    _Again_
    
    _'Cause lately something here don't feel right_
    
    _This is just a half-life,_
    
    _Without you I am breaking down_
    
    _Wake me, I want to see the daylight_
    
    _Save me from this half-life_
    
    _Let's you and I escape_
    
    _Escape from time_
    
    _Come on let's fall in love_
    
    _Come on let's fall in love_
    
    _Come on let's fall in love_
    
    _Again_


	5. Heaven

**Chapter 5**

****

Harry set off in search for Hermione.  He already had an idea of where she would be, so he retrieved his broom and flew off to their favorite retreat…the place where they had first kissed just over two years ago.

As he neared the area, he saw Hermione sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees staring blankly towards the lake.  He gently brought the broom back down to the ground and sat himself next to Hermione; not saying a word, merely letting her know that he was there.  They sat silently for a few minutes until Hermione broke the silence.

"How could they do this to me, Harry?  How could they have lived with me for 17 years…how could they have looked into my eyes for so long…and not tell me?  They knew, Harry…they knew how much it hurt me to be called a 'Mudblood'.  They knew that I felt so inferior.  They could have stopped it, ended everything…and they didn't.  I don't know if I can trust them again…and if I can't trust them, how can I love them?"

"Don't say that, Herm.  Your parents thought it was the best thing to do.  They wouldn't have done it if they thought it would hurt you so much."

She sighed, "You don't understand, Harry."

"Yeah, you're right!  I don't understand.  I don't understand how you would consider, even for a second, letting this come between you and your parents!  I've been through this before, Hermione.  The Dursley's did it to me!  The only difference is that I never loved them.  Come on, Herm…yeah, your parents made a mistake - they're not perfect - but at least they're there!"  He paused…closed his eyes and then spoke again with a passion- no, a conviction- in his voice that not many had heard before, "I'll never be able to know my parents the way I should have…but you know yours…so please, don't let this come between you!  Don't let this make you strangers!"

Hermione spun around angrily at Harry, "That's just the problem, damn it!  You never loved the Dursleys!  You don't know what it's like to have parents who tell you how much they love you and hold your hand when you're upset...and then find out that it's not real…that it never was!  This is what is known as betrayal, Harry…Betrayal!"

Harry's mouth dropped open slightly as he listened to Hermione…each word driving a knife deeper into the pit of his stomach.  He sucked in a sharp breath and then exhaled, "Well…I guess since I'll just never understand what's it's like to have parents…I shouldn't be the one trying to help you…"   He stood up, taking his broom into hand and positioning himself over it to fly off.  He looked meaningfully at Hermione and said softly, "I do know what betrayal feels like though…it's what Wormtail did to me."   Just as he was fixing to push off, he heard Hermione cry out.

"Harry! Wait!"

He looked at her only to find tears streaming down her cheeks and a heartbroken look on her face.

"I'm so sorry…I didn't mean that at all!  I'm just…really frustrated.  I don't know…how to react to this…"

Harry looked into her eyes, dropped his broom into the grass and then pulled Hermione into a hug.  Hermione placed her head in the crook of Harry's neck and shoulder and broke down, letting herself fall apart in the arms of her best friend.  Harry just kissed the side of her head, brushed her hair with his hands, whispered into her ear words of comfort and just…was there for her.  

After Hermione's sobs had subsided somewhat, Harry said, "I won't deny that what you said hurt…it did…but I love you and so I forgive you.  I know we're not perfect…I know that we'll both say and do stupid things within the course of our relationship.  But I also know that I love you…and that I don't want our mistakes to come between us…and I certainly don't want them to make me lose you.  You're the best thing that's happened to me, Hermione.  So no matter what…let's just…forgive and forget."

"You're right…you're so right, Harry.  I just need to forgive my parents and move on, huh?"  He nodded in reply and she said, "I love you so much…what'd I do deserve you?"  She laughed softly…disbelievingly, "I mean…you're such an incredible person…I don't what I'd do without you."  She leaned forward and kissed him…forming a connection between their hearts to reaffirm to Harry the love she felt was real.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_Baby, you're all that I want_

_When you're standing here in my arms (my arms)_

_I'm finding it hard to believe (believe)_

_We're in heaven_

_We're in heaven_

_Oh, thinking about our younger years_

_There was only you and me_

_We were young and wild and free_

_Now, nothing can take you away from me_

_We've been down that road before_

_But that's over now (over now)_

_You keep me coming back for more_

_Baby, you're all that I want_

_When you're standing here in my arms_

_I'm finding it hard to believe (believe)_

_We're in heaven_

_And loving is all that I need_

_And I'm finally there in your heart_

_It isn't too hard to see (to see)_

_We're in heaven_

_We're in heaven_

_Now, nothing can change_

_What you mean to me (oh)_

_There's a lot that I could say_

_But just hold me now (hold me now)_

_'Cause our love will light the way_

_Baby, you're all that I want_

_When you're standing here in my arms_

_I'm finding it hard to believe_

_We're in heaven_

_And loving is all that I need_

_And I'm finally there in your heart_

_It isn't too hard to see (to see)_

_We're in heaven (Heaven)_

_Now our dreams are coming true_

_Through the good times_

_And the bad_

_I'll be standing there by you_

_We're in heaven_

_And loving is all that I need_

_And I'm finally there in your heart_

_It isn't too hard to see (to see)_

_We're in heaven_

_Ohh__, ohh, ohh_

_Ohh__, ohh, ohh_

_We're in heaven_

_(Heaven)_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Were you followed?" asked Draco anxiously.

"No, I don't think so," Ginny replied breathlessly.

"Did you bring it?"

She smiled, "Yes, I did."

Laughing, he took her hands and led her to the couch, "Well then, what are we waiting for?"

Draco sat himself on the edge of the couch, his back nestled comfortably in the corner of the sofa. Ginny sat next to him, leaning her back against his chest.  She handed him something and then sat silently while he opened it.  As Draco spoke, she closed her eyes and listened to his deep voice.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only…"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Aaaah! Ron! Don't! No!" Lavender squealed, as softly as she could manage, as Ron tickled her while laughing quietly.

They were sitting on a couch in the Gryffindor Common Room long after everyone else had gone to bed.  Apparently, they were just having too much fun to go to sleep.

While laughing hysterically, Lavender managed to gasp out, "Ron…please…stop…"

With a mischievous smile on his face, Ron acquiesced to her request.  She sucked in a deep breath of air, "Thank you!"

He smiled and leaned back against the couch again as Lavender composed herself.  When she could once again breathe normally, she lay down on the couch on her side, resting her head on Ron's leg, and watched as the few remaining glowing embers slowly burned out in the fireplace.  Ron softly ran his fingers through her hair, staring into the fire as well.

After a few minutes, Lavender asked him, "What are you thinking about?"

He sighed softly, "I guess…about how so much has changed these last few years."

"A lot of things have changed, huh?  People too…"

He smiled, "That's a mild understatement…but yeah.  Harry's changed…Hermione's changed… you've changed…everything's changed."

"You've changed too, you know," she added.

He cocked his head to the side, raised an eyebrow and asked, "I have?"

"Yeah," she replied with a teasing grin, "I remember back when Harry was always getting this attention…it ticked you off so bad!  You would always get so jealous of him."

"Oh, jeez…I was such a horrible friend back then."

"Nah, you weren't horrible…just a bit thickheaded," she grinned.

"Wow…thickheaded...and this coming from the girl who used to idolize Professor Trelawney!"

"I did not idolize her!"

"Haha, yeah, you did," He started imitating Lavender from her younger years with a falsetto voice, "Ooooh!  Ooooh!  Professor!  Professor, I think I found something!!"

"Shut up!" she hit him on the shoulder, "I wasn't that bad."

"Yeah, sure…you tell yourself that."

Indignant, she replied, "I wasn't!  Oh…you're hopeless!"

"Am I?  Then why do you still hang out with me?"

"Because it continues to amaze me how idiotic one can be and still be considered a human being," she retorted.

"Oh! Ouch!" Ron imitated the motion of a knife being stabbed in his heart.

Lavender laughed as she got up from the couch and reached out a hand to help Ron up.  He took her hand, but instead of her helping him up…he helped her down.  She yelped in surprise as she was pulled back to the couch.  Ron smirked as he then stood up and pretended to walk away.

However, he turned back to face the shocked girl still on the couch and held out his hand to help her up as he said, "That…was for saying I'm an idiot."

She allowed herself to smile as she took his hand and stood up.

He said, "It's getting late…we should get to bed now.  Big day tomorrow and all."

"Yup," she replied as they walked to the stairs and went their separate ways when Lavender called out, "Oh!  Ron."

He turned to look at her.

"Because you can still make me laugh."

"Excuse me?"

"That's why I still hang out with you," she smiled, "Goodnight."

He grinned, "Goodnight."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_No…no…haha, no…this can't be happening…it can't be!_

Leigh was furiously pacing the length of her living room.  She had just kicked Bill out of her room only minutes ago.

_He's alive?  He can't be alive…he can't be.  There's just no way!  No way!_

_But he is_, a new voice in her head popped up, the one that always overcame her outer feelings, her logic, and reasoning, _and you still love him_.

_No!_  Leigh automatically denied, _No!  I don't love him.  Not after what he did to me._

_That was sixteen years ago…and this is now._

Leigh laughed to herself and said aloud, "Why am I arguing about this?  He's dead."

Deciding that she just didn't want to think about this, Leigh walked to her bedroom and crawled into bed.  Unfortunately, she tossed and turned all night.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"You know," Harry said thoughtfully, "I'm almost glad your parents didn't tell you."

"What?!"

He smiled and said, "Because otherwise I'm not sure you would have turned out the way you did.  You were always determined to prove that a muggle-born could be an excellent witch.  You have this…drive…to prove yourself.  And I love that about you."

Hermione smirked, "You are one smooth talker, Harry Potter."

"Ahh…tell me something I don't know."

"Mmm…I would, but that'd take too long," she laughed.

"Ahh, you scarlet woman!" he joked.

"Excuse me?" Hermione said as she raised her eyebrows.

"But you're my scarlet woman!" he added quickly.

"I'll let that one slide this time."

"Thank you," he smiled and said, "Come on...we should get to bed.  We have a big day tomorrow.  Classes!"

"Oh, I know!  I can't wait to meet our new Potions teacher!"


	6. First Day

**Chapter 6**

"Okay, everybody! Please take your seats!"

The students moved about to their seats, talking loudly as they went.

Leigh sighed, then yelled, "Let me try this again….please take your seats quietly!"

An abrupt silence came over the students as they quickly scuttled to their seats.

"Much better, thank you. All right. Welcome to your 7th year N.E.W.T. Potions class! I am Professor Collins, none of you know me, but that's all right, I'm sure you will by the end of the year. Most of you will either love me or hate me or perhaps even both…but I can pretty much guarantee that there's no in-between with me. As you are all teenagers, I'm sure you're just dying to know more about me."

The students laughed a little as she continued.

"My name is Leigh Ann. I'm," she gasped for suspense, "34 years old which, in case some of you can't count, is twice as old as the majority of you. I attended Hogwarts when I was younger and I was the Head Girl in my 7th year. Potions was my best and favorite subject, in spite of the fact that my teacher was a slimy git, and so I pursued a career along those lines.

"I started off as an intern at St. Mungo's Hospital along with my friend Shawn, whom I later married. A few months after we married, he was diagnosed with a particularly nasty form of Wizarding Cancer.

"As a result, I branched out and created my own research corporation, the Shawn Collins Foundation, or S.C.F., which focused on finding a cure. Unfortunately, we were not able to find one fast enough to save my husband, but several years later we had a breakthrough which eventually led to the cure.

"S.C.F. is doing quite well, but I resigned from my job because I found that it was very stressful and prevented me from spending a lot of time with my son. I took the job here in order to be close to him, he's just starting his first year here. Any questions?"

"How long were you married?"

"Just under two years."

"Was he still alive when your son was born?"

"No, he passed away a month beforehand."

"Do you miss him?"

She smiled softly. "Every day." The class remained silent so she asked, "Any others?" No one replied so she talked about what they would be doing in class.

"I'm not gonna lie to you guys, this class is hard…for some of you, this class may even suck. The potions we will be making are very powerful, extremely complex, and highly dangerous. But that's not to say that we won't have fun. Several of the potions, if done correctly, could be very comical."

A hand arose, and Ron asked, "How so?"

She smirked. "I guess you'll just have to find out."

Ron grinned sheepishly and tilted his head to the side a bit.

"Oh, and before I forget…the poem on the blackboard will more than likely become your motto as the year goes on. The poem was written as follows:

_Now I lay me down to study,  
__I pray the Lord I won't go nutty.  
__If I should fail to learn this junk,  
__I pray the Lord I will not flunk.  
__But if I do, don't pity me at all,  
__Just lay my bones in the dorm hall.  
__Tell my prof I did my best,  
__Then pile my books upon my chest.  
__Now I lay me down to rest,  
__And pray I'll pass tomorrow's test.  
__If I should die before I wake,  
__That's one less test I'll have to take!_

As the class read it, they laughed. Professor Collins smiled and then concluded, "Well, that's all I have planned for today so I guess you get to be released early!"

A cheer rang out through the students and they stood up, grabbing their things.

"And tomorrow," she yelled, "the real work begins!"

The class groaned as they walked out the door. Harry and Hermione, however, approached the professor.

"Professor Collins? I'm Hermione Granger and this is Harry Potter."

At Harry's name, Leigh reacted a bit, but attempted to look normal.

Hermione reached out her hand to shake the professor's hand. "We're the Heads this year, Professor Dumbledore asked us to introduce ourselves to you."

"Oh, yes, thank you."

Harry said, "If you ever need anything, we'd be more than happy to help you."

"Thank you, I appreciate that."

Hermione asked, "Have you met Professor Buck yet?"

Leigh paused, inhaled sharply and then said, "Yes, I know him." _Or at least I thought I did_, she thought to herself.

"Oh, good! How did you meet him?"

"He….escorted me last night," Leigh replied, forcing a smile onto her face.

"Oh, I see. I think you'll like him…he's a really great guy."

_He was_, Leigh thought, but she simply said, "I'm sure he is."

Harry seemed to sense Professor Collin's unspoken discomfort on the subject so he softly tapped Hermione's shoulder and said, "Speaking of Bill…we don't want to miss his first class."

* * *

The Potions room was empty save for Leigh, who was sitting at her desk perusing some paperwork when Bill hesitantly walked into the room. Leigh didn't notice him, as she was completely absorbed in her work, until he strode up to her desk and cleared his throat. Leigh raised her eyebrows to the man standing in front of her. Her eyes contained a hint of sadness until a wave of forced hardness came over them.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I wanted to apologize."

Leigh placed the papers she was holding onto the desk, folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, her cold gaze never leaving Bill's eyes. "You're insane if you think that saying you're sorry is going to help anything."

Bill's eyes closed as his guilt of what he had done resurfaced. "You have to know that I never wanted to hurt you."

"That's bull!" Leigh shot back at him.

"No, it's not."

"Look, whatever," Leigh stood up. "The fact is that you did."

Bill inhaled sharply and looked down to the floor. "I know I did…and believe me, I hate myself for it."

"Well, guess what? So do I." Leigh said, looking directly at him as her voice cracked a little despite herself. "Now get out of my classroom."

"Leigh, please…let me explain…"

"Go."

Bill sighed, defeated once more, and he turned to leave the room. When he reached the door, he turned and said, "I'm really sorry, Leigh."

Leigh stood there staring at the door Bill just crossed through as conflicting emotions threatened to drive her mad.

* * *

The class sat in their seats anxiously waiting for the arrival of their new DADA professor who, as it seemed, was late. The sound of the door slamming startled the class, as did the man who walked to the front of the room with a grim look on his face. He walked to his desk, dropped a pile of papers onto it and turned to face the class. He stared fiercely into the eyes of every student in the room…all of whom, save three, looked back at him terrified.

He spoke, "Lesson one…the look you see on my face now is nothing compared to the one you'll see on someone who not only _wants_ to kill you, but will…try. So prepare yourselves."

He stood silently to let his words sink into the teenager's minds and hearts. His intense gaze slowly faded and the kind one he so normally wore took its place. He smiled as he continued, "I'm Professor Buck, but in this room you can call me Bill…provided you still show me the same level of respect you show any other teacher.

"I will be your _Defense Against the Dark Arts_ professor this year. You might as well put your books away as you will not use them…except perhaps for homework."

The class groaned at the mention of homework, but did as he asked.

"You will not need them because all the reading in the world on this subject will do absolutely no good. You need to know its practicality, to perform it for yourselves and to experience it for it to be of…_adequate_…use to you. I'm sorry to say that 3 of your six years experience in this subject are worthless.

"Professor Moody, though he turned out to be a traitor, was a decent teacher and he taught you _some_ of what you need to know…but not all. In my personal opinion, it is Professor Lupin and Mr. Harry Potter who deserve much of the credit for your current skills. As it is, what they have taught you is not enough.

"The fight against the Dark Arts…against evil…occurs every day whether or not you're aware of it. And more importantly…whether or not you're _prepared…_for it. So I will say this…expect a lot of hard work in this class this year. You've got a lot to learn…and not nearly enough time to do so. Take out your wands…let's get started."

* * *

"Dumbledore!" Leigh yelled as she entered the Headmaster's office, "You sneaking, conniving, manipulative, old man!"

"That's remarkably close to what Bill called me," Dumbledore replied.

"Why didn't you tell me that he was working here? Better yet, why didn't you tell me he was alive?"

"I'll tell you what I told Bill…because then you would have refused the job."

"Damn right I would have!"

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why would you have said no?"

"Because…"

"Because even though he hurt you, supposedly died, and lied…you still love him."

Leigh didn't reply to that.

"My dear, dear Leigh…not everything is as it seems. Might I suggest you listen to whatever explanation Bill offers you?"

"Fine, if you want me to, I'll listen…but I can't guarantee anything more than that."

She left the room.

_Youth is wasted on the young,_ Dumbledore thought once more as he returned to work.

* * *

Hermione stared at Ron with a look of disbelief on her face as he proceeded to eat everything within reach at lunch. "I can't believe that after seven years the sight of you eating still grosses me out."

Ron abruptly stopped chewing his food, he looked at Hermione and said, "Well, then, don't look." Hermione, unfortunately, was greeted to a sight she could happily have lived her whole life without…the sight of food in Ron's mouth. In addition to that, when he spoke bits and pieces flew out of his mouth towards Hermione.

"Eww! Ron! You're such a pig!" Hermione exclaimed as she quickly reached for her wand and muttered "_Scourgify_" to clean the food which Ron had so generously given – well, spit at – her. She put on a fake pout, turned to her boyfriend and said, "Harry…make him stop!"

Without looking up from his food, Harry said, "Ron…stop."

"I'll have you know I'm very insulted by that remark! Of course you're gonna side with your girlfriend as opposed to your best friend."

Harry looked up. "Well…I like you and all, Ron…but…_she_ kisses me."

"Ahh….nope…can't beat that. Dang it!"

Hermione smiled brightly, having won, and kissed Harry on the cheek.

Ron sulked and went back to eating his food as he muttered, "Don't know how I'm expected to beat that…"

"Hey, guys!" Lavender said, "Mind if I eat with you today?"

"No, of course not," Hermione replied, "but I have to warn you…it can get rather gross watching Ron eat."

"It's always gross watching Ron," Lavender joked as she pulled up a seat next to him.

"Jeez, what is this? 'Pick-on-Ron' day?" Ron complained, pretending to be hurt.

"No," Harry replied matter-of-factly, "its 'Pick-on-Ronniekins' day."

"Oh, well, thanks for clearing that one up." Ron said. "How could I not have known?"

They laughed again before Harry and Hermione began talking amongst themselves and Ron became absorbed in eating once more.

"Aren't they so perfect together?" Lavender asked Ron.

"Hmm?" Ron replied with his usual clueless look on his face.

Lavender laughed. "Harry and Hermione…aren't they so cute together?"

"Oh, right," he glanced at his two best friends who were now laughing quietly at a private joke and smiling uncontrollably, completely oblivious to the outside world. A smile twitched at Ron's mouth as he said, "Yeah…yeah, they really are."

"They make it look so easy…."

"Make what look easy?"

"Being in love…it just…makes me wonder sometimes, that's all."

"About what?"

Lavender shook herself out of her trance, smiled and said, "Nothing."

"Just so you know, I don't buy that…but I'll let it slide this time." Ron remarked, looking at her.

Lavender smiled a bit and changed the subject. "So how about you? Any…love prospects?"

"Um…no, not really…not right now anyway. You?"

"Nope…I have a non-existent love life at the moment."

Ron laughed. "Well, we have to admit that not everyone finds their soul mate as early as those two did," he said, motioning to Harry and Hermione.

Ron's little sister came up to the table now. "Hey, big brother," she said as she sat down on Ron's other side.

Ron stiffened momentarily, remembering his conversation with her on the train. "Hey, Ginny."

"So how was your first day of classes?" she inquired.

"Good. Yours?"

Ginny, however, didn't answer. A slight smile came across her face as she looked across the Great Hall.


End file.
